Party General Secretary and State President To Lam (R) meets Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. Photo: VNA

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam had meetings with Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport; and Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, on the occasion of his attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit in Paris on October 5.

Meeting Viola Amherd, Lam thanked Switzerland for assisting 1 million CHF (1.16 million USD) and sending experts and equipment to help Vietnam address consequences of Typhoon Yagi.

He said that the bilateral friendship and cooperation have been developing well after more than half a century of establishing diplomatic relations; and proposed both sides continue to develop their relations commensurate with their potential in the coming time.

The two leaders agreed to increase delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels and channels to create new momentum for bilateral cooperation in all fields, and strive to conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), continue to research and expand cooperation in the fields of education - training, science and technology, innovation, climate change response, digital transformation and green transformation to facilitate the elevation of bilateral relations to a new level at an appropriate time.

Amherd assessed Vietnam as an increasingly important economic partner of Switzerland in the region, affirming that Vietnam is a high priority partner in her country’s development cooperation. She also affirmed her readiness to support Vietnam in implementing international commitments on climate change response.

The two sides vowed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and cooperation mechanisms, especially the United Nations (UN), the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the ASEAN - Switzerland Sectorial Dialogue Partnership, the World Economic Forum (WEF); and jointly contribute to efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the two regions and in the world.

Lam proposed the Swiss Government continue to create favourable conditions for the 8,000-strong Vietnamese community living, studying and working in Switzerland so that they can actively contribute to Switzerland’s socio-economic development and act as a bridge to enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

At Lam’s meeting with the Armenian Prime Minister, the two leaders emphasised the importance of the good traditional friendship between the two countries. The Vietnamese leader affirmed that his country wishes to promote multifaceted and substantive cooperation with Armenia to effectively exploit their cooperation potential, especially in economics and trade.

Nikol Pashinyan suggested the two countries’ relevant agencies coordinate closely with each other to promote the implementation of signed agreements. On this occasion, he expressed his wish to welcome the Vietnamese top leader to visit Armenia at an appropriate time./.